1. She's not an "umpire," or a robotAsked about Chief Justice John Roberts' famous confirmation quip that a Supreme Court jurist should act like an "umpire" who merely "calls balls and strikes," Kagan said the "metaphor" makes it sound like the "law is a kind of robotic enterprise." That is, she said, "especially not right at the Supreme Court level, where the hardest cases go." If she never does anything else, says Jim Newell in Gawker, Kagan deserves a medal for patiently explaining to "a group of senior national legislators" why the "Umpire Metaphor" is so asinine.

2. She's not a strict constructionistTo the chagrin of conservatives, "Kagan made it clear that justices need not always bow to the intentions of the Constitution’s authors," says The New York Times in an editorial. She said many of their "ideas need to be reinterpreted in light of later advancements," such as "search and seizure procedures" and libel versus free speech.

3. She won't rule out a federal "eat your vegetables" lawSen. Tom Coburn (R-OK) asked Kagan if a law mandating that all Americans "eat three vegetables and three fruits every day" would "violate the Commerce Clause," and Kagan suggested that while such a law would be "dumb," she might defer to Congress. She's probably right, law-wise, says Slate's Dahlia Lithwick, but "Coburn scored a huge win for Fox News" by painting Kagan as a proponent of "some kind of forced-vegetablist nanny-state."

4. She subscribes to a "doctrine of humility"In a glimpse at her purported judicial philosophy, Kagan said "the Supreme Court is a wondrous institution. But... it must also be a modest one — properly deferential to the decisions of the American people and their elected representatives." That's a welcome change from "Roberts and his precedent-trashing conservative quintet," says Nan Aron in The Huffington Post. Townhall's Ilya Shapiro disagrees, saying Kagan takes her "deference to the political branches" a little too far.

5. She may not believe people have a God-given right to gun ownershipKagan offered Americans "no assurances that an individual's right to bear arms is a fundamental and inalienable right independent of the Constitution," warns the Heritage Foundation's Brian Walsh. Is it any wonder she "appeared baffled" at the suggestion, says Slate's Lithwick, that the right to own a handgun would be "a 'fundamental right' that was 'endowed by our creator'"?

6. She has a quick wit"Much to the surprise of the Senate Judiciary Committee," says Stephanie Mencimer in Mother Jones, "Kagan has turned out to be very funny." Examples: To Sen. Arlen Specter's (D-PA) question on how televised hearings would affect the court, "It would mean I'd have to get my hair done more often, Sen. Specter." Where was she Christmas Day? asked Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC). Kagan: "Like all Jews, I was probably at a Chinese restaurant." (Watch a compilation of Kagan's funniest moments)

7. She won't take a stand on Vampire v. WerewolfIn one of the stranger questions of the hearings, Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) said she wanted to ask Kagan about her leanings regarding "the famous camp of Edward v. Jacob, or the vampire v. the werewolf," from the blockbuster "Twilight" book and movie franchise. "I wish you wouldn't," Kagan responded.